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Image Left: James (Rick) Conrey, center, of the NASA Ames Exploration Academy, and his mentor Dr. Peter Jenniskens, test the performance of an instrument that measures the light curves of meteors in three broad pass bands, for measuring the loss of sodium in meteors. The test flight studies synchronization of the images, which could permit this instrument to serve as a color intensified HDTV camera.

Photo Credit: NASA Ames Research Center/Eric James Click on the image for full-resolution.

Image Left: David Nugent (left) and Rick Conrey place the color intensified HDTV camera in front of the aircraft window.

Photo Credit: NASA Ames Research Center/Eric James Click on the image for full-resolution.

Image Left: Dr. Julian Nott of University of California, Santa Barbara, preparing to observe meteors with a slit-less meteor spectrograph for high-resolution spectroscopy, testing the performance of CMOS sensors.

Photo Credit: NASA Ames Research Center/Eric James Click on the image for full-resolution.

Image Left: Dr. Rick Rairden of Lockheed Martin installs a low-resolution slit-less meteor spectrograph in front of the aircraft window during the August 13, 2007, Perseid test flight. The camera is optimized for near-UV spectroscopy, and tests at what wavelength the aircraft window becomes opaque.

Photo Credit: NASA Ames Research Center/Eric James Click on the image for full-resolution.

Image Left: Gaming expert Chris Crawford of Medford, Ore., uses a video headset display to count meteors and measure flux in real time. The known activity of the Perseid shower is used to calibrate the detection efficiency of the intensified cameras and that of the visual meteor observers.

Photo Credit: NASA Ames Research Center/Eric James Click on the image for full-resolution.